


Wintering Alone

by SkadiLothbrok



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Kaer Morhen, Skellige - Freeform, Witcher - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkadiLothbrok/pseuds/SkadiLothbrok
Summary: Eskel and you are a couple but you are bothered by the fact that he never wants you to return to Kaer Morhen in the winter with him.
Relationships: Eskel (The Witcher)/Reader
Kudos: 26





	Wintering Alone

Eskel and you had been together for the past few years now but one thing had always bothered you. He always went back to Kaer Morhen alone. He'd never outright said that you couldn't join him but you could tell that he didn't want you to. With no other reason springing to mind, you'd concluded that he was ashamed of you.

You were a Shield Maiden from the Skellige isles who had happened across Eskel whilst he had been injured from a particularly shittty job. After patching him up he'd made it pretty clear that he thought you should leave, but you'd relentlessly stuck by his side for the next few weeks whilst he healed. Truth be told, you'd been yearning for adventure and what better opportunity than at the side of the Witcher right?

At first he's simply tolerated you, trying to shake you at every chance he got. But you were a capable tracker and managed to find him each time he did so. The longest he'd escaped you was just under a day. Soon enough, he'd given in and allowed you to travel with him. By the time you could no longer use the excuse of his injuries as a means for you to stay, he'd grown quite attached to you.

A couple of months from that, you'd hooked up one night. The morning after he'd tried to ditch you and you feared you'd done something wrong. He'd found you later that day, drunk as he'd ever seen you in the nearest tavern. A local man had been trying to get you to join him upstairs and Eskel had seen red. Knocking the man out cold, he'd dragged you from that bar and swore he'd never leave you again.

And yet, every winter he did.

"I plan on heading back to Kaer Morhen within the next few days" he informed you as you tended to the fire of your small camp. You bit your lip and refused to reply to him. Feeling like you would say something you didn't mean because of the anger and hurt you felt. "I'm sure your friends in Faroe will be glad to have you home".

You scoffed at that "I have no friends in Faroe Eskel, merely people who know my name".

"What do you mean" you could tell that he would be frowning without even looking at him "I thought you went back there to see friends?"

Standing from the fire you turned to face him with your hands on your hips "I go back there because you're too ashamed to introduce me to your friends Eskel" you shook your head and laughed coldly "where else do you think I have to go when you leave me every winter?"

He stood from where he'd been sat and moved to stand in front of you "what are you talking about Y/n? I am not ashamed of you" he reached a hand out to take your own but you moved out of his reach.

"Every time you go back home, I am left alone once more" you sighed "I've no desire to return to Skellige, let alone Faroe. But you made it quite clear the first few years that you didn't want me to join you". You held his gaze and refused to let your inner pain show through on your face.

"Why have you never mentioned this before?" he asked.

"Would it have mattered?" you replied "you have your family Eskel, I understand that... I just wish you'd see me as part of it". Despite your best efforts, you heard the pain that seeped into your voice. Not wanting to see the pity in his eyes, you turned away and walked over to your bed roll.

"Y/n" Eskel spoke quietly as he watched you lay down and turn your back to him. When he got no response from you he sighed and moved to his own bed roll, figuring he might as well get some rest.

\--

That morning when you woke, you had a blissful moment of peace before remembering your conversation with Eskel that night. Feeling like you wanted to simply close your eyes and drift back away from your problems you sighed and thought about doing just that for a moment. But you sighed a moment later and started to get up.

When you looked over to Eskel's bed roll your heart dropped. His things were all packed away and Scorpion was gone. Has he really left you because of what you'd said? Jumping up with a new found sense of urgency you ran over to the small pile that consisted of his bed roll, a water skin and a blanket... and a note. 'Gone to town for supplies, be back before midday'.

A sigh of relief left your mouth as you focused on calming your racing heart. It shocked you to realise just how much the thought of Eskel leaving you had stung. To keep yourself busy, you built up the dwindling fire before heading to the nearby river to collect some water and catch some lunch.

By the time Eskel returned later that morning, you had a line of fish smoking on the fire and had cleaned your spare set of clothes that now hung on a nearby tree branch drying. As Eskel moved towards you, you found that you were too nervous to look at him. Worried about where the two of you stood after last night. 

Finding sudden interest in your finger nails, you listened as he strolled over to you. He came up behind you before wrapping something over your shoulders before fastening it with a clasp at your front. Frowning in confusion, you looked down to see red fabric lined in fur sat over your shoulders. "What's this?" you finally looked up to Eskel in question.

He smiled down at you before answering "Kaer Morhen is cold so I figured you'd need a decent cloak".

As you processed his words you realised what he was really saying. Jumping up from your seat you turned around to see him properly "wait are you saying that you're taking me with you?" He nodded and your smile widened.

"I'd never wanted to make you feel the way you did" he caressed your cheek with his thumb "and I'm certainly not ashamed of you. My only worry would be fending off the others advances when they lay their eyes on you". You laughed at him and shook your head. "I'd always assumed that you wouldn't want to join me" he grew more serious "Kaer Morhen isn't the happiest place and the people in it don't exactly know how to welcome others. I didn't want to scare you off".

You slowly started to understand why he'd been keeping you at arms length now. "You could never scare me of Eskel" you promised him "I don't know if you noticed, but you have a bit of a hard time shaking me". At that you were both laughing "Eskel I..." you paused momentarily, deciding whether or not to voice your thoughts "I love you" you confessed for the first time.

Eskel looked at you as though you were the most precious thing in the world and it made your heart swell. "I think I've loved you from the first time I saw you punch that guy for insulting Witcher's".

"He had it coming" you shrugged before wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him closer to you for a kiss.


End file.
